Public speaking 101
Convey One Big Idea
Don’t fall into the trap of trying to cover everything in a single talk. Instead, convey one big idea that leverages your personal experience.
A big idea can take an audience on a journey that alters the way they view the world. You should be able to define your idea as a throughline that is 15 words or fewer.
Build Trust and Connection
When you build trust and connection with your audience, your idea will resonate. To do so, consider the following tactics.
Make eye contact as you walk confidently onto the stage.
Show vulnerability.
Drop the ego—consider being self-deprecating.
Explanation
With whatever you set out to explain, you need to incite curiosity. Make the audience care. You also should be incremental with new concepts.
Don’t confuse everyone with too many concepts. Use metaphors to help people understand.
Finally, show people drafts of your talk to avoid the curse of knowledge, assuming that other people have the same context as you.
Script Vs Unscripted Vs Loosely Scripted
You have three options: write out a full script, write out a structure, or go unscripted.
With a script, it’s sometimes difficult to translate written words into a talk. You also don’t want to sound too rehearsed, so if you go with a script, you need to fully master your memory of the talk so that you can add your character back in.
Whereas scripts can make every word count, unscripted talks can be half-baked and rambling if they don’t have sufficient preparation. With unscripted talks, it can be helpful to have transition steps or a clear map of the journey that you can follow.
Bad Talk And Bad Visuals
Avoid sales pitches or talks that focus on what your organization does.
For the visuals, no slides = better than bad slides. For each slide, convey just one idea, and remember that less is more. For photos, have them take up the entire slide. Use only one typeface and three fonts throughout the presentation. Avoid bullets, italics, and underlines.
It’s Just Your Idea, Not You Personally
Have a mantra to keep you focused on why your talk counts, “This idea matters.”
Five minutes before you speak, breathe, do push-ups, and drink water. Remember the power of vulnerability. If you screw up, say, “Oops, sorry, a little nervous here.” Look at the audience for sympathetic and encouraging faces. And finally, remember that it’s not about you, it’s about your idea.
The Shape Of The Talk
Rehearsals help shape the talk. Ask for advice on clarity, tone, variety, and examples.
Structure: One potential structure for your talk: introduction, context, main concepts, practical applications, and conclusion.
Tell Stories
Our minds co-evolved with storytelling, a byproduct of fire; elders were often the best storytellers that helped us imagine, dream, and understand the minds of others.
Stories are easy to follow, and they give us the ability to understand complex ideas and understand imagined realities. Adding stories to your public speaking toolkit will enhance your effectiveness.
Make It Big!
Wear something that makes you feel good, and rehearse your speech in that clothing. Make sure it is comfortable and you feel confident wearing it.
Zoom out to the vision of your talk. Show the possibilities that your idea unlocks. Have a clear call to action to help people engage with your idea or pay it forward. Paint a vision of what the world will look like when the idea spreads.
The Core Point
Essentially, what is the core point of your talk?
Think about the audience, their context, and why your problem matters to them. As a tip, choose one person that you like and assume you are presenting the talk to them.
Script the opening minute and the closing lines. These are the most important parts of the talk. Use good images and stories to ignite curiosity and reflection. How people remember something is largely influenced by how it ends.
Persuasion
Enhance your persuasion by offering a counterintuitive idea that convinces the audience that their worldview isn’t exactly right. If you can effectively prime people, add humour, and leverage anecdotes, you will increase your chances of success.
Do Things Differently
While there are many time-tested principles of public speaking, don’t be afraid to do things differently. Show your unique style and character. Challenge the norms. At the very least, be interesting.
It also helps to believe in what you are talking about.
